The next 1st Tuesday Fundraiser sponsored by the Mex Pub and hosted by Coast to Coast will be Feb. 4, with guest performers the Turnaround Trio with Wendy Knudson, Bob Romanow and John Thorington, (and a few special guests).
The proceeds from donations will go to the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society.
Foodstuff donations will be gratefully accepted by the Comox Valley Food Bank Society.
The Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society (CVTRS) has been steadily growing since it began in 1986 with a mission to provide a therapeutic riding program for physically, mentally and emotionally challenged children and adults using hippotherapy, equine-facilitated mental health wellness and adaptive riding.
Today, with the help of over 100 volunteers, they conduct one of the largest therapeutic riding programs on Vancouver Island, with 80 clients attending each week, the majority of who are from marginalized populations. In addition to the Comox Valley, their program serves Vancouver Island communities from Fanny Bay to Port Hardy, including three outlying islands accessible only by ferry.
The Turnaround Trio is the Comox Valley’s best-kept secret, playing gypsy jazz, western swing, Brazilian choro and more. Wendy Knudson is passionate about all aspects of music – organizing workshops, (she is the driving force behind the Vancouver Island Music Workshop and Beyond Trad), teaching, collaborating, and playing. From her living room to being onstage to time in the studio, Knudson sings, plays guitar, accordion, upright bass, ukulele and fiddle. She plays a broad variety of genres, ranging from Celtic, folk, gypsy jazz, Brazilian choro, to French café music, and western swing.
Knudson has the great pleasure of teaching accordion, guitar, ukulele and fiddle to kids of all ages in Courtenay.
Bob Romanow has taken a page out of that classic John Prine song, “Spanish Pipedream”: he blew up the TV, moved to the country, built a home, grows a fairly decent garden, and likes to eat a lot of peaches. Romanow loves to play guitar and mandolin and practices until Knudson chases him out of the house. Fortunately for Romanow, they have a studio in the backyard. Musically, you can find Bob participating, teaching, or assisting at a number of music workshop camps throughout B.C., Vancouver Island Music Workshop, Beyond Trad, Georgia Straight Guitar Workshop and Sorrento Swing Camp, to name a few.
John Thorington met Wendy and Bob about a decade ago at VIMW where he learned those first few swing chords that led to his great love for swing, jazz, gypsy jazz and western swing, where his rhythm guitar chops are in big demand. His favourite home is in the wall of wood backing up the big band at Swing Camp in Sorrento, B.C. when he’s not working on the stage crew. The evening will start at 7:30, admission by donation.